Dekers Club Update – September 2017

I hope everyone has had a great summer. Your Dekers Blue Line Club Board is looking forward to an exciting season of Michigan Hockey. Generally at this time of year we would be holding our annual picnic. Unfortunately due to changes in NCAA rules, the picnic will not be held this year. The NCAA is requiring any time that players spend in the presence of coaches or at a team event to count toward the contact hours they are allowed so this now includes the picnic. The new time management rules have also been changed to require an additional amount of days off, which has made scheduling very challenging for the coaching staff. The hockey office is working on an alternative to the picnic that would happen during the season.

On a positive note, we do have several events to announce. On Friday, November 3, 2017 we will be inducting seven former players into the Dekers Hall of Fame. The formal announcement will take place in the next week. We are also planning a bus trip to Little Caesars Arena for the Michigan/Michigan State game on February 10, 2018. Our end of the season banquet will be held on a different date than in the past. To help lessen the travel burden on our out of town parents we will be holding the banquet on Sunday, February 25, 2018. This is the Sunday following Senior Night, which is the last home game at Yost. The Board is also working on scheduling watch parties for away games, which have been a great way to get together with fellow Michigan Hockey supporters to watch road games.

Membership to the Dekers can be renewed by making a sports specific donation to Michigan Hockey or the Dekers Endowed Scholarship Fund. To make a donation please visit – https://dekers.org/membership/. Additionally, season-ticket holders may choose to join the Dekers through an opt-in email that will be sent by the U-M Athletic Ticket Office.

The Dekers Endowed Scholarship Fund currently has a market value of $677,642. It is our goal to make this a fully funded scholarship at the $1 million level. This season, the recipient of our scholarship is sophomore Will Lockwood from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

If you are interested in getting involved with the Dekers or have any further questions, please feel free to respond to this e-mail.